Love Takes a Holiday
|Season = 3 |Antagonist = |Setting = |In-Universe Date = Year 1 |Production # = V0113 |Filming Dates = 23 July to 3 August 1996 |Original Air-Date = |Written By = Gene O'Neill & Noreen Tobin |Story By = |Teleplay By = |Directed By = Charlie Haskell |Order in Series = 40 of 111 |Order in Season = 3 of 22 |Order in Franchise= 71 of 304 |Prev Episode in Series = "Doomsday" |Next Episode in Series = "Mummy Dearest" |Prev Episode in Franchise = "Remember Nothing" |Next Episode in Franchise = "The Giant Killer" |title cap image = }} Aphrodite has had enough of being the goddess of love, so she quits and tries different jobs. Iolaus learns firsthand that this causes women to inexplicably act very angry toward men, so he tries to convince Aphrodite to resume her proper job. In the process, he rescues Leandra from kidnappers and escorts her home to Syllabus. The other villagers aren't happy with him, though. It turns out that Hephaestus covets Leandra as a bride and cursed her entire village into nothingness for over fifty years following one refusal. The villagers fear an even worse punishment, but Iolaus is determined to protect Leandra. As it happens, Iolaus has a special connection to her. Summary Aphrodite is fed up with being the goddess of Love because it bores her. Elsewhere, Hephaestus is yearning for Aphrodite. Iagos tells him that he must get over his obsession by working. He suggests Hephaestus set his sight on someone more attainable: the mortal woman, Leandra. Hephaestus says she also rejected him over fifty years ago. Iagos says she may have changed her mind after all this time. He tells Iagos that he will lift the curse on the village of Syllabus but will not force Leandra. Meanwhile, Hercules has gone to Corinth to visit Iphicles and his wife, as they are due to have a baby, so Iolaus is traveling by himself. He meets a friend, Mykonos, who tells him that the women are behaving strangely. When Iolaus meets Evanthea, she greets him by smashing a pot over his head. When he regains consciousness, Evanthea says she never wants to see his face again. In the marketplace, Iolaus hears etheric laughter and recognizes it as Aphrodite's. he calls for her to show herself and she appears in the market. She tells Iolaus that she has given up being the Goddess of Love and is looking for a new career. Iolaus tries to inform her of the consequences of having no love in the world. She says, "Tell someone who cares" and vanishes. Later on, Iolaus finds Aphrodite in the forest attempting to be the Goddess of the Hunt. Iolaus shows her how to fire a bow correctly and she enjoys having a personal trainer. In the village of Syllabus, Iagos demands that they give up Leandra or the village will disappear forever. Iolaus and Aphrodite are hunting a boar when he hears a woman scream and runs off to see what is happening. Iolaus finds Iagos and some other men have taken Leandra by force and he orders them to let her go. They tell him not to interfere, but they fight and he saves Leandra. She takes Iolaus back to her village and notices that their clothes are a little out of place. At the village, the elder tells Iolaus that because of his actions, they will be cursed by Hephaestus again. While trying to find out about the curse, Aphrodite appears and tells Iolaus that Hephaestus put a curse on the village. Meanwhile, Iagos breaks into the tavern telling the people to enjoy themselves because it is their last day on earth. The elder asks if they can find Leandra can they have another chance; Iagos says they have until sunset. While Leandra is packing clothes she tells Iolaus that Hephaestus has chosen her to be his wife. She says her husband was killed in the Punic Wars, two years earlier. Iolaus says his grandfather fought in the same war, over fifty years ago; Leandra says he must be mistaken. When the villagers come to take her, she asks Iolaus to find her son. Iolaus is taken by the villagers and later discovers that Leandra's missing son is his father, who escaped the curse because he was playing by the brook. Iagos take Leandra to Hephaestus and she lies to him saying that she is there by her own free will. Meanwhile, Iolaus and Aphrodite go to rescue Leandra. Iolaus says it would be easier if she made Hephaestus fall in love with someone else. When they enter Hephaestus' forge they are attacked by one of Hephaestus' creations, Aphrodite throws her spear to Iolaus and vanishes. Aphrodite appears in the forge and Hephaestus says he has not seen her for centuries. She tells him to give up Leandra but he captures her in one of his traps. She tries to escape but he tells her, "Zeus himself couldn’t get out of that Chair." While trapped, Aphrodite finds out that Hephaestus is in love with her. Elsewhere, Iolaus finds Leandra and tells him about her son escaping the curse. He says that her son is his father, she does not believe him but he shows her a medallion that his father was wearing when they found him. She tells Iolaus that the medallion belonged to her husband. They escape from Hephaestus' forge while Iagos tells him about their escape. He sends Iagos with some of his armor. While escaping, Iolaus tells Leandra that her son is dead. He says she grew up to be a great general. Iagos and the warriors arrive and as they fight Iolaus, they take Leandra prisoner again. Aphrodite says that Iagos is not Hephaestus' friend if he calls him "ugly" to his face. He says that Hera threw him out of Olympus because he was too ugly. Aphrodite says, "beauty is not just what you look like, it's also on the inside." She says they share the fact that they are judged only by their appearance. Iolaus gives chase after Iagos and Leandra. He risks his life to save Leandra and she thanks him, he replies that they are family. Leandra says that if Skouros had not wandered off, Iolaus would not be alive. He replies that sometimes things work out the way they are supposed to. Leandra tells him she is proud of him. He leaves her to go to Syllabus alone, while he goes after Iagos. Back at the forge, Aphrodite asks Hephaestus if he is in love with her, he replies, "For centuries," and the two share a kiss. Iolaus catches up with Iagos but he uses a shield to become invisible. Iagos begins fighting with Iolaus, who has a hard time trying to find Iagos, but finally manages to push him into a blazing inferno. After defeating him, Iolaus runs into Hephaestus who thanks him for bringing Aphrodite to him, and she apologizes for leaving him earlier and reveals that she and Hephaestus are now a couple. Iolaus asks if everything is back to normal and she says that she is going to leave the "action business" to Hercules. Aphrodite also tells Iolaus that she'll go back to being the Goddess of Love. Disclaimer No Metal Panthers were tarnished during the production of this motion picture. When polishing your metal animals, remember to use salt and lemon. Gallery File:Love_Takes_Holiday_01.jpg|Aphrodite Struggles with Boredom File:Love_holiday_02.jpg|Hephaestus Forges a Metal Panther File:Love_holiday_03.jpg|Aphrodite as Goddess of music File:Love_holiday_04.jpg|Aphrodite as Goddess of the Hunt File:Love_holiday_05.jpg|Stand Aside! File:Love_takes_holiday_03.jpg|Aphrodite as Goddess of Wisdom File:Love_holiday_07.jpg|You Have Until Sunset File:Love_holiday_08.jpg|Hephaestus Pines for Aphrodite File:Love_takes_holiday_04.jpg|Aphrodite as a Herculean Hero File:Love_holiday_10.jpg|You're Not Going Anywhere File:Love_holiday_11.jpg|My Father Had This File:Love_holiday_12.jpg|Finishing the Shield of Perseus File:Love_holiday_13.jpg|Do You Love Me? File:Love_holiday_14.jpg|An Awesome Flame Background Information * Starting with this episode, Michael Hurst is added to the opening credits as a regular cast member. This change to the credits would only be present, though, in episodes in which he would appear in (whereas Kevin Sorbo would always be credited even if he didn't appear). * Kevin Sorbo does not appear in this episode. This is the first episode in which he doesn't appear. * Iolaus states that Hercules went to Corinth to visit Iphicles and Rena, who are expecting a baby. * Leandra is Iolaus' paternal grandmother. * This episode states Iolaus' father was Skouros, a general that died in battle. Playing by a nearby river saved him from the curse (which, of course, helped make it possible for Iolaus to be born). * Iolaus' grandfather was killed in the Punic Wars. * This episode reveals the significance of Iolaus' pendant – it belonged to his father and his grandfather before him. According to Iolaus, his three-year-old father was wearing the pendant when he was found after Syllabus disappeared. * After Leandra warns him of the She-Demon, Iolaus references her defeat by Hercules in "The Wrong Path". * Among the different new jobs that Aphrodite considers are goddess of music, goddess of the hunt, goddess of wisdom and hero. * As in the Greek myths, Aphrodite and Hephaestus get together. Unlike the myths, though, Aphrodite is happy to be in the relationship. Links and References Guest Stars * Alexandra Tydings as Aphrodite * Julian Garner as Hephaestus * Sarah Smuts-Kennedy as Leandra * Mervyn Smith as Iagos Other Cast * Bill Urale as Henchman 1 * Gilbert Goldie as Village Elder * Adam Jackson as Male Villager * Damien Wood as Male Servant * Fiona Mogridge as Evanthea * John Manning as Merchant * Stefan Broadley as Musician * Darren Ludlam as Mykonos References * Parthia * Syllabus * Metal Panther * She-Demon * Armour of Hephaestus * Ares * Artemis * Athena * Apollo * Oracle of Delphi * Punic Wars * Skouros * Shield of Perseus Season Navigation de:Ohne Liebe geht es nicht Category:HTLJ Season 3 episodes Category:Episodes Featuring Aphrodite